2 Hurt as Motorcycle Crashes at High Speed in Costa Mesa

COSTA MESA —  Jose Guillermo Olmedo Rojas, 22, bought his powerful motorcycle just a week ago. He was proud of the bike and so, when he met 18-year-old Camille Jones at a party in Costa Mesa on Friday night, he suggested a spin.

The pair hadn’t driven too far when Olmedo, traveling at more than 60 m.p.h., lost control of his Suzuki 1100 on a curving stretch of Iowa Street and plowed into two parked cars, said investigator Steve Rautus of the Costa Mesa Police Department.

Olmedo, who was wearing a helmet, suffered a mangled right leg when he slammed into the cars and then became entangled in the rear wheel of the motorcycle, Rautus said. In addition, he suffered a broken right arm and nerve and tendon damage to the arm. Jones, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown from the bike. She suffered a concussion and scrapes.

Olmedo, of Costa Mesa, and Jones, of Coto de Caza, were in stable condition Saturday at United Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.

“The passenger is alive by the grace of God,” said Rautus, who had just returned from visiting Jones and Olmedo at the hospital. “She has a scrape on her shoulder, but not even a mark on her face.”

Rautus said Jones told police she met Olmedo at a friend’s party.

“He had just gotten the motorcycle,” Rautus said. “He was a friend of one of (Jones’) friends, so she decided to go for a ride with him on the motorcycle.”

High speed was the apparent cause of the crash, which is still under investigation, Rautus said. Olmedo, who carried a valid driver’s license but had no motorcycle validation, was not ticketed.

“We have established that he was traveling in excess of 60 m.p.h. in a 25-m.p.h. residential zone,” Rautus said. “Traffic was light and alcohol was not a factor.”

No other drivers were involved in the crash, which occurred near New Hampshire Drive.